


The Revenge

by klanstability (Shanimalx)



Series: Among the Stars [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (actually they dont but thats a spoiler), Drabble, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pirate AU, Princess Bride AU, Stardust AU, but his good looks and his wittiness save him, lance almost DIES, more like meet-DEATH amiright?, rated T for implied violence and sexual harassment, the revenge is the name of the ship actually, well it would be if this hadnt gotten so long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-16 13:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16086725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanimalx/pseuds/klanstability
Summary: The Black Pirate Roberts is a man who shows no mercy....almostno mercy.[Keith and Lance meet for the first time, based loosely on Westley's story of his encounter with the Dread Pirate Roberts]





	1. Good work.

**Author's Note:**

> im a bad bitch and season 7 cant kill me (but real life and finding a job and moving apartments twice in a week can) 
> 
> klance is immortal and so is this au.
> 
> is this part three? or is it part one since this one happens first? or is it parts one _and_ two because this got away from me and ended up being more than twice as long as I thought it was going to be?

Lance has been stuck on Earth for what feels like thousands of years, but somehow he _still_ sucks at being human. No matter how hard he's tried to blend in, to keep a low profile and hide his true nature, he always finds himself wedged between the biggest goddamn rock and the hardest goddamn place.

Just last month he was approached by a man who offered him a (frankly pathetic) handful of gold to perform some rather... inappropriate acts. He wouldn't take no for an answer, even after Lance tried to lose him in the crowd by the docks.

Which is how he found himself stowed away on this merchant ship full of peaches.

The same one that is currently being boarded by pirates. Because of course it is.

Now, pirates are _far_ more clever than peach merchants. While the ship's crew hadn't caught onto Lance stealing rations (and peaches) for weeks as he stowed away in the belly of the ship, it took the pirates a whole seven minutes after they boarded to spot him ducking behind a stack of crates. A gangly man smiled down at him with crooked teeth before Lance was bound at the wrists, dragged above deck into the moonlight, and forced onto his knees beside the rest of the crew.

"Found some _special cargo_ hiding among the rats, Captain."

And the captain. Oh, god, the _captain_.

At the gangly man's words, a figure in a long, black coat turns to face them, and Lance's blood freezes in his veins. The enormous feathered hat that would have looked childish on anyone else, sits like a crown atop the captain's head, and the gilded buttons on his coat glitter like jewels. He stands before the lot of them in shining black boots, his hand resting casually--but very intentionally--on the pommel of the sword strapped to his hip. His eyes glint with a hunger that Lance is all too familiar with.

This is a man who is very obviously in charge, and _very_ capable of killing you.

If not for the rest of his immaculately pristine getup, Lance would have surely thought that the red silk shirt he wears beneath it all is soaked with blood.

Lance can feel everyone else in line hold their break as the captain steps closer to where he is kneeling. His heels tap softly on the deck with each slow step, but to Lance's ears they ring louder than anything in the world. Lance stares straight ahead and tries to swallow the lump in his throat. He was supposed to be blending in.

When the captain reaches them, the gangly man chuckles and runs a greasy hand through Lance's hair. "A real beauty, ain't he?"

Lance shudders and tries to hide his grimace at the words, but then the captain grips his chin (with a surprisingly warm hand) and jerks it upward to meet his eyes.

Gazing up at him, Lance is surprised to find that the captain has the face of a man. And that's not to say Lance thought he was, like, a fish or something. _Obviously_ the captain is a human man, but there's something about his face that gives Lance just a _hint_ of an impression he just... woke up and decided to buy a boat one day.

Everything else about him--the clothes, the stature, the steady line of his mouth turned slightly down into a scowl--projects the strongest possible air of authority. Commoners would feel compelled to fall to their knees and pledge their loyalty while he was still a mile out, but up close Lance can sense that it all might just fall away under the right circumstances. And he's incredibly curious to find out what those circumstances are.

So when the captain twists his head back and forth to inspect his so called “beauty”, Lance allows a smirk to slide onto his face. He stares back in defiance, daring him to disagree.

"Certainly full of fire."

Lance’s smirk falls just as quickly as it came. Bile rises in his throat and his heart sinks into his stomach. There's no way he could have figured it out that quickly. He can't possibly know Lance's secret just by looking at him. It's impossible--

But then the captain's hand leaves his chin, and he addresses the gangly man again. "But you know we don't keep captives alive. It'd ruin my reputation." He heaves a sigh and waves his hand absently down the line at the rest of his crew. "Finish moving the cargo and kill them all when you've finished. And let's make sure the sails actually catch before we disembark this time, gentlemen."

Someone to Lance's left inhales sharply and doubles over in a coughing fit. There's a few seconds of tense silence as everyone watches the man try to recover his composure, and then the captain throws his head back in loud, deep-seated laughter.

"Does hearing that surprise you?" he asks as he slowly makes his way back down the line, his boots clicking menacingly on the deck. The wide smile on his face is frighteningly unnerving. "Didn't any of you recognize my ship before my men and I boarded?"

As if hypnotized, they all turn to look at the ship tethered to theirs, and up the tall, dark mast at its flag. It's not a pattern that Lance is familiar with, and he almost says so out loud, but the crew's nervous silence stops him. _They_ recognize it, and Lance can tell it's not the good kind of recognition. As if answering the question stuck halfway up Lance's throat, the man to his left whispers harshly, " _The Black Pirate Roberts_."

The captain--Roberts, evidently--tips his hat and throws an arm out wide as he leans into a deep bow in front of them, that eerie grin still decorating his face. "The very same."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to split this one into two chapters because I like to keep people in suspense ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) The second part will be posted by the end of the week! :)
> 
> If you haven't listened already, a wonderful friend of mine chose to do an episode of their podcast about this series! You can listen to it [here](https://fandalismcast.tumblr.com/post/178539055315/episode-two-is-out-this-weeks-story-is-the#notes)!
> 
> ask me more about this au on [tumblr](http://klanstability.tumblr.com).


	2. Sleep well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thar she blows......

Lance only vaguely remembers hearing something of a Pirate Roberts during his time on land, but what he does remember clearly is that none of it was good. Even if that wasn't enough, the crew's reactions--their soft, fearful gasps and hard swallows--tell him all he needs to know.

And yet, there Lance is, opening his mouth to ask, "You kill  _ all _ your captives?"

The eyes of the man next to him grow wide. He shakes his head almost imperceptibly, and Lance suspects that Roberts might not have a reputation of sparing those who question him. But the words are already out, and, even if at the risk of premature slaughter, Lance has to try  _ something _ .

Roberts pivots sharply on his heels and levels Lance with a curious glare. It sends a pulse of energy down his spine that he thinks might be a mix between unexpected exhilaration and unadulterated fear. He's toeing a  _ very _ thin line.

If there's one thing Lance really doesn't need right now, it’s having a sword drawn across his throat in front of an entire crew of pirates and not dying. He hates to do it,  _ mercy _ does he hate it, but if singling himself out could get him special treatment (special non-lethal treatment, that is), he doesn't really have another choice.

Roberts shifts into a casual stance and settles his hands on his hips. He draws the edge of his coat back over his sword, but even as the line that Lance is toeing draws ever closer, the captain's eyes still have a glint of intrigue that spoils his facade of intolerance.

The silence under Roberts's gaze is stifling as he waits for Lance to retract the statement, or perhaps commit entirely to save himself the agony of waiting any longer for his end.

Lance, however, chooses a third option. He appeals to the captain's intrigue and capitalizes on the opportunity that was presented to him just a few minutes ago, hoping desperately that he'll be able to nudge the line forward a bit: "Even the beautiful ones?"

The captain regards him with an unchanging expression, but Lance can see he's fed right into the flame of that curious glint in his eyes.

"And why should I make an exception of you?" Roberts asks carefully.

"I'm more than just a pretty face, you know. I have--" Lance pauses for a fraction of a second. Improv was never his strong suit. "-- _ skills _ ."

Roberts raises an eyebrow. 

What did humans brag about these days? He really didn't think this through, did he? "Uh, talents, even." He has no idea what he's trying to imply, but he throws in a wink for good measure. 

Roberts scowls. "Whatever rumors you whelps might enjoy letting run free out there, I assure you I am  _ not _ interested in stooping to pursue the business of prostitution, and I do not appreciate the insinuation that I am." His grip on his sword tightens as his arm tenses, ready to draw.

"No, no that's not what I meant!" Lance throws his arms out in defense and is painfully reminded of the bindings that burn his wrists. "I just--it would be a waste to kill such a valuable asset like me. I've spent decades in the water." Quite literally, in fact. "I'm  _ very _ useful."

"Decades?" Roberts huffs, clearly unamused. "And how old do you expect us to think you are, exactly?"

"Ah ha ha!" Lance chuckles nervously, "That's the thing, you see. My beauty hides my true age! I've been on the sea since I was born, almost--" How old did humans grow to be, again? "--30 years now. In fact, I was climbing masts and tying knots even before I could walk!" He smiles charmingly and hopes the captain is willing to buy what he's selling. 

And it... almost seems to be working.

_ Almost _ .

"Is that all?" the captain asks with a devilish lilt to his words. "I've got plenty of men aboard who share a similar past. I myself was raised out on these open waters, we're not amateurs, I assure you." He sends Lance a look of fake pity, complete with an exaggerated pout. "Nor are we currently hiring."

"But can they scale a mast in less than 20 seconds?" Lance counters. It seems to get the attention of most of the men on the ship, including the peach merchants.

Roberts, however, remains unconvinced. 

Lance nods towards the sky, where a full moon sits beaming down on them like a spotlight. "Can they navigate by the stars alone to anywhere in the world without getting lost?"

The men around him have begun to murmur, but Roberts still stands before him, resolute.

"Can they survive swimming out to sea 50 yards and back in the middle of a storm?" Lance asks finally, his voice rising in exhillaration, acutely unaware if such a feat is even possible, but then the captain's ambivalent smirk drops away. His eyebrows pinch together, and his eyes, still tenaciously trained on Lance, seem to slide just slightly out of focus, as if looking through him. Or rather,  _ inside _ him.

Within a matter of seconds, Roberts's eyes regain their clarity and lock with Lance's again, but he suddenly looks very unsure of himself. The captain shifts his stance and fidgets with a button on his coat under the guise of straightening it. That confident facade has fallen, but Lance can tell it's not because of anything he's said. Roberts tips his hat back the tiniest bit to glance furtively up at the moon for a fraction of a second, a motion that Lance can see he hopes had gone unnoticed. His grip on his sword tightens again. 

Lance's heart pounds furiously. Something has just changed the game, and he doesn't like not knowing what it is.

The tension condensing in the air is cut down only slightly when Roberts clears his throat. "Stand," he orders, somehow managing to keep the apprehension in his eyes out of his voice.

Lance takes two seconds too long to respond, so the gangly man behind him yanks him to his feet.

The captain takes a moment to look Lance over. His eyes rake up Lance’s body, and Lance hopes he doesn’t find what he’s looking for, whatever that may be. When their eyes connect, Lance can see that the captain’s intrigue has evolved. He exudes a different kind of confidence now, one that makes Lance more frightened than he has been all night.

Roberts breaks eye contact to look back up at the moon before nodding absently to the gangly man behind Lance. "Take him over. Kill the rest."

"Wait, but you--" Lance protests as he’s dragged towards the gangplank to the other ship, but the captain cuts him off.

"I'm taking you on as my personal assistant,” he announces among the bustle of pirates shuffling down the stairs to haul up more peach crates. “If you're really as good as you say you are, it shouldn't be too hard of a job for you."

Roberts quickly glances up at the moon one last time before turning his attention to the line of hostages before him. “Either way,” he continues with a smile, “I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.”

**Author's Note:**

> Again, if you haven't listened already, a wonderful friend of mine chose to do an episode of their podcast about this series! You can listen to it [here](https://fandalismcast.tumblr.com/post/178539055315/episode-two-is-out-this-weeks-story-is-the#notes)!
> 
> ask me more about this au on [tumblr](http://klanstability.tumblr.com).


End file.
